Jamaica Football Federation grassroots programme coordinator, Andre Virtue, says the Emmanuel Christian Academy (ECA) is moving in the right direction with the staging of the Scotiabank ECA/Norbrook Cup, which kicks off tomorrow.

"We expose kids from early because they are behind in terms of development of our football," Virtue said yesterday at ECA.

"There is no outlet for those kids Under-9, so this tournament is a welcome one. It is about enjoying the game at that age group," the former prep school and Manning Cup star said.

"We must do our part in passing on the right information. We don't have many youngsters moving on professionally; very few people are going to make it. The reality is one out of 80 that will make it," he disclosed.

Gregory Jones, league director, said a change has been made to the format of the programme this year: "This year, we've moved away from a one-day format to four weekends starting on February 20 to March 12. A total of 20 teams from schools and clubs will be participating."

TITLE SPONSORS

The 20 teams, including defending champions Ballaz Academy, will participate in three zones.

Simone Walker, director of marketing programmes at ScotiaBank, said her company was pleased to be the title sponsor of this tournament.

"We are very pleased to be a part of the tournament as football is a great pastime for most Jamaicans," she added. Walker also said she was happy that girls will be participating in the programme.